Surgical appliance.



G. W. OVERMEYER.

SURGICAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, I915.

1,201,864. Patented Oct. 17,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I WITNESSES: Geo/ye WUz/ermeyemWENToR BY ,0 J

G. W. OVERMEYER.

SURGICAL APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6,]9l5.

1,201,864. Patented Oct. 17,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7 5 I IIIIIEIIIIQ jg III 14 llllllllll or arm for the UNITED sir rEsr.

GEORGE WILLIAM OVEBNIEYEB, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

'- SURGICAL, arrmnn'cn.

Specification of Letters Iatent'.

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1916.

- Pplicationfiledluly 8, 1915. Serial No. 88,289.

'and useful Surgical Appliance, of which the following is a specification,

This invention relates toan improvement in surgical appliances to be used more particularly in setting broken or fractured bones. I

The object is to provide means for setting broken or fractured bones without thenecessity of making an incision. Generally an incision is made by laying the flesh and tissues open and preparing the bone, andapplying a plate thereto for drawing and holding the fractured orbroken ends of the bone together. When a plate 1s not used some other similar method is pursued for the purpose of holding the bones together. In cases, of oblique fractures 1t is very difficult to keep the fractured ends of the bone together to cause them to properly knit. In Iractures of this character it is generally necessary to apply extensions, that is, weights are applied to the fractured hmb urpose of drawing the fractured ends of t e bone together, and mamtaining them in proper posltion so that the proper union will be formed between the fractured ends.

In all such cases, where it is necessary to employ the open method, by laymg the flesh and tissues open, there is danger of infec-\ tion and a scar is always left on the body when the wound has healed. When a plateis applied to a bone there is danger of decay and the possible irritatlon whlch necessitates the removal of the plate.

With my invention I insert anchorrods into the bone on each side of the fracture by piercing or penetrating the anchor rods through the flesh and screwing them into the bone. The anchor rods are, of course, thoroughly sterilized before they are inserted in the flesh of the body, and after they have been inserted colodion is applied to the flesh around the anchor rods, for hermetically sealing the puncture, which overcomes any possibility of infection. These anchor rods will not injure any of the arteries, nerves and tendons, as they will slip by them as they are inserted, nor will theyinterfere with the blood circulation. By this metliod it is unnecessary to make an incision, such as is generally found. necessary, thereby eliminating the destroying of the nerves and the blood supply to the tissues.

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

It is evident that many slight changes may be made in the formand arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,

.and hence I do 'not wish to be limited to the exact construction herein set forth.

In the accompanying drawings,--Figure 1 isa view in elevation showing the appliance applied to a fractured bone. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the appliance.

ing bar for securing an anchor rod thereto.

Fig.7 is a horizontalsectional view through the block. Fig.8 is an end view thereof with a portion broken away to illustrate the manner of connecting the anchor rod to the block. A represents anchor rods which are preferably made of steel, which have pointed lower extremities providing drill or piercing points 1, adapted to out intothe bone, and which have screw threads 2, located adjacent to the drills or points to follow the same, and engage the bonefor firmly securing the anchor rods to the fractured pieces of the bone. The upper ends of the anchor rods are preferably made angular in cross section to permit grasping andturning of the same by a tool. The horizontal bar 3 has a plurality of blocks 4, mounted thereon and which are capable of slidin' and rotating upon the bar, and are held in their adjusted positions by means of thumb screws 5 which are caused to engage the bar 3, the bar 3 passing through openings or holes formed in the blocks. These blocks 4 are provided with openings 6, extending at v Fig. 3 is a detail, enlarged sectional view, taken the right angles to the openings through which the bar 3 passes, in which openin s G the anchor rods A are received. Thum screws 7 carried by the blocks t are adapted to be screwed into engagement with the anchor rods A for fastening the anchor rods in place. The blocks 4: may be moved along the "horizontal bar-.3 to adjust the drill rods A toward and from each other, so that the fragments or fractured pieces of the bone may be approximated and held together, and allowed to knit. After the bone has knitted, the appliance may be completely removed from the bone and the body by withdrawing the anchor rods. The small punctures formed in the body will heal readily and leave only slight scars, Where the anchor rods have passed through the flesh.

It is necessary that the blocks be capable of rotary movement upon the bar 3 as it is often necessary to insert the anchor rods in the bone somewhat at an angle, depending upon the character of the fracture. \Vhen it is necessary to insert the anchor rods at an angle greater than can be accommodated by the blocks disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a block 8, may be used; the same being disclosed in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, which has a swiv eled head 9. The swiveled head 9 is provided on one face with a rosette 10, which is adapted to register with a rosette 11 on the end of the block 8. This head 9 is held to the block 8 by means of a screw bolt 12, which has screw-threaded engagement with the block 8. A milled nut 18 is screwed on to the bolt 12 for holding the head 9 against movement. An opening or hole 13 is formed in the head 9, which extends at right angles to the bolt 12 in which an anchor rod A is received, the thumb screw 7 being provided for holding the anchor rod in place.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, I- have disclosed two horizontal bars 3 connected together by a block 1%, which is provided with openings or holes 15 and 16, preferably of the same size, for

the reception of the-bars 3, so that two adjacent appliances may be connected together for affording support to an arm, for instance, where there is a break in the upper and forearm, or in the joint, the bars 3 being held in position by thumb or set screws 17, which have screw threaded engagement with the block 14, and are adapted to engage the bars 3.

The bar 3 and the anchor rod A are made in various sizes but it is preferable that the bar 3 be of greater size than the anchor rods A, because the bar must sustain the anchor rods and act as a support for rigidly maintaining the fractured ends of the bone in apposition.

The anchor rods are generally inserted through the flesh and into the fragments of the bone, the patient being preferably under the influence of an anesthetic, and after the is then connected to the anchor rods as above described to rigidly maintain the bone fragments 1n true anatomical appositlon.

Any number of anchor rods may be applied to the bar 3 as are demanded. Of course, in some instances, in cases of fracture where the bone has been badly splintered, it will be necessary to make an incision before applying the anchor rods, but in many instances, this is unnecessary. and the broken or fractured member may be located by the surgeon, by feeding, or with an X-ray, so that the anchor rods can be properly placed and connected to the bar. for joining the fractured ends properly together.

With this invention there is no destruction of the tissues, and there is no danger of leaving any foreign bodies, such as wires, screws, plates, pegs or nails in the wound and around the bone. It is unnecessary ,to use weights for extensions and counter-extensions, and splints and casts can be eliminated, thereby relieving the ill effects caused by them from pressure.

What is claimed is,-

1. A surgical appliance comprising a bar adapted to extend substantially in the direction of and to be spaced from a fractured bone, a plurality of anchor rods mounted for adjustment longitudinally and trans versely of the bar and being adapted. for adjustment about the bar into various angular positions with respect to each other, means for rigidly securing the anchor rods in their adjusted positions on the bar, and bone engaging extremities on said rods for engagement with the fractured pieces of the bone to hold the same in apposition.

2. A surgical appliance comprising a bar adapted to extend substantially in the direction of and to be spaced from a fractured bone, a plurality of anchor rods adjustably and rigidly secured at one end to the bar, drill points upon the opposite ends of said rods for entering the fractured pieces of the bone, and securing means on said opposite ends of the rods for engagement with the fractured pieces to retain the points therein and hold the fractured pieces of the bone in apposition.

3. A surgical appliance comprising a bar adapted to extend substantially in the direction of and to be spaced from a fractured bone, a plurality of anchor rods adjustably and rigidly secured at one end to the bar, drill points upon the opposite ends of said rods adapted to be turned down into the fractured pieces of the bone, and screw threaded portions upon said opposite ends adjacent the drill points adapted to follow the same points and engage in the fractured tion of and to be spaced from a fractured' bone, a plurality of anchor rods having penetrating points at one end for engagement in the fractured pieces of the bone, and independent securing means between each anchor rod and the bar for rigidly securing the rods at Various intermediate points to various intermediate points of the bar and at various angles about the axis of the bar.

5. A surgical a pliance comprising a pair of bars adapted. o be spaced from a fractured bone and to extend in the general direction thereof, a plurality of anchor rods for each bar having one end threaded for engagement with the fractured pieces of the bone, means for adjustably securing said anchor rods upon the bars, and means for securing said bars together at an angle to each other to hold the fractured pieces of the bone in apposition.

6. A surgical appliance comprising a bar adapted to extend substantially in the directionof and to be spaced from a fractured bone, a plurality of anchor rods having piercing points at one end for engagement in the fractured pieces of the bone, blocks slidably mounted on the bar and having openings therein for the reception-of the op- J posite ends of said anchor rods, and set screws carried by the blocks for engagement with the bar to hold the blocks in various longitudinally and angularly adjusted positions on the bar, and for engagement with the anchor rods to hold the same in various longitudinally adjusted positions in the blocks.

7. A surgical appliance comprising a bar adapted to extend substantially in the direction of and to be spaced from a fractured bone, a plurality of anchor rods threaded at one end for rigid engagement with the fractured pieces of the bone, blocks slidably and rotatably mounted on the bar, means for securing the blocks in adjusted position, heads rotatably mounted on the blocks and having, openings therethrough for the reception of the opposite ends of said anchor rods, set screws in the heads for engagement with the anchor rods to hold the same in longitudi- 'nally adjusted position, and means for lock- 

